The Definition
by Light in the Rain
Summary: Love stories set to the BtD time line for the love month. Happy Valentine's Day ya'll!
1. Chapter 1

Kingdom Hearts: The Definition of Love

Chapter 1: Sora's Way of Thinking

**A/N: No particular pairings really, but you can kind of guess them. Small story set in between chapters of our story Before the Door.**

Kingdom Hearts characters and design© SE and Disney

Final Fantasy characters and design© SE

Neki concept and design© Light of Heaven and Kitty Fetish

Reni concept© Black Rainy

Reni design© Kitty Fetish

All rights reserved.

Chapter 1:

"So who should we ask first?" Neki asked her companion, Reni, who answered with a shrug.

"How about Sora?" Reni inquired with a sly grin. Neki deadpanned.

"You're just Sora deprived and too lazy to walk downstairs and find him yourself, "Neki said matter-of-factly. Reni grinned even more as she played with her blonde hair. Neki rolled her eyes.

You see, the two blondes were on the newspaper staff for their school, and seeing as it was almost Valentine's day, decided that their article would be interviewing different kids in their school on what they thought love was all about.

Pretty big subject at such a young age, but you know how the kids are these days…

"Fine. Sora come here and I won't hur—"

"What?!?" Sora shouted from the doorway, obviously out of breath, interrupting her threat.

"Come in dear brother," Neki leaned back in her desk chair while she petted Reni's head like a villain would their evil cat. Sora rolled his eyes at her antics, and sat down warily on the bed, "What is your definition of love?"

"L-love?!" Sora sputtered and nearly fell over. Neki nodded, "What for?"

"It's for the school paper, "Reni chirped from her spot on the floor, leaning against Neki's desk.

"Okay…"

"So?" Neki waited impatiently as usual, which meant she didn't wait at all.

"My way of thinking, is love is like a veggie!" Sora looked to Neki, whose face told him to explain, "Well when you're little, you don't ever want to eat them, but as you get older, you start to like them little by little!"

"…"

"Sis?"

Neki's face split into a grin and in a flash she had leaped from her chair, glomped Sora, and was treating him like a little baby by cooing and messing up his hair, "You are so precious!" she squealed happily.

"Neki!" Sora whined.

"If love is a veggie, then it's a potato!" Neki laughed, "The best no matter how you cook it!"

End


	2. Chapter 2

Kingdom Hearts: The Definition of Love

Chapter 2: Riku Does it Different

**A/N: The second chapter. Not much more to it than that.**

Kingdom Hearts characters and design© SE and Disney

Final Fantasy characters and design© SE

Neki concept and design© Light of Heaven and Kitty Fetish

Reni concept© Black Rainy

Reni design© Kitty Fetish

All rights reserved.

Chapter 2:

Neki sat, feet splashing in the water, on the dock. Reni was home working on their article for the week. Spicing up Sora's vegetable theory was going to take a lot of work after all, "I'm bored," She whined. Kairi was no where to be found, not that Neki would play with her anyway, and Riku and Sora were currently fighting against Tidus and Wakka in a two against two all or nothing battle.

"Hey you!" a voice spoke up from behind her in a mocking tone.

Or so she thought.

She whipped around with a grin, "Riku!" He sat down next to her on the dock, "Can you stay?"

"Yeah, why? Think I'm going to be beamed up by the 'mother ship' and second now?" She gawked openly at him, "What?"

"Don't even joke about something like that…" she spoke breathily with a grave expression.

Maybe it was her wide hazel eyes, or the serious frown plastered to her face, but nevertheless, he couldn't help himself and started laughing, "O-okay! My bad."

"Yes your bad." She cracked a smile and laid her head on his shoulder, "Riku, what do you think love is all about?" she asked absently, her mind still on her article that Reni was probably finished with by now. Neki was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't feel Riku stiffen from her question.

"Well, I think love…" he started to speak but stopped. Riku thought his answer over carefully before continuing, "Love is one of the great mysteries of the world. People will search their whole life for it, most giving up hope, but when they do finally find it, it's unexplainable. And you just…" He paused to stare at Neki's faint smile.

"Know," she finished, "You just know."

Riku nodded, gazing out at the sea as the sun began to fade over the edge, giving some one, some place else the light he had all the time. Absently, he wrapped his arm around her waist as she shivered from the fresh night breeze.

This was one interview she didn't plan on telling Reni about.

Fin


	3. Chapter 3

Kingdom Hearts: Definition of Love

Chapter 3: How Neki Plays the Game

**A/n: I got the idea for this chapter during school…I think during Biology, but I'm not quite sure, because I know I worked on it a lot during English... Anyway, here's Neki's chapter...**

Kingdom Hearts characters and design© SE and Disney

Final Fantasy characters and design© SE

Neki concept and design© Light of Heaven and Kitty Fetish

Reni concept© Black Rainy

Reni design© Kitty Fetish

All rights reserved.

Chapter 3:

Neki dangled her feet above the water with a small, tight frown on her face. She sat alone on the lazy paopu tree, everyone else already gone, simply swinging her legs, back and forth, back and forth. Finally, she smiled, content with the thoughts flowing through her mind. She turned and hopped back onto the island, repeating her conclusion so as not to forget them.

She reached her boat in record time, and crossed the small water filled chasm in between the islands even faster. Walking briskly up the hill that lead to Reni's house, a quick smile flitted onto her face, and she slowed her pace.

"Yo," Riku said from the doorway of their house. She raised a hand in greeting and gave him a warm smile as he moved aside to let her in, "What's the occasion?"

"What, I can't come visit you or Reni without a reason?" Riku gave her a looked, with she rebutted with a quirky smile, "Paper. I've got the interview for next week." She climbed the stairs with light steps.

"You haven't even printed Sora's," Riku remarked from behind her. He followed quickly behind, and stopped when she did and turned to face him.

"You can never be too prepared!" With that, she whipped around and rapped on the door to Reni's room in rapid succession, "Open this door and hand over your fast writing skills!" Reni flung open said door, and ushered her in, sitting herself in her desk chair and Neki sitting on the bed. Reni was already holding her pad of paper and a pencil.

"Ready when you are," Reni smiled. Neki nodded, but stood and walked over to the door. She gave Riku a glare before kicking the door closed, then nodded again.

"Now I'm ready."

Riku stared at the closed door for a moment, then crouched down and very quietly opened it, until he would be able to hear what Neki said without them knowing.

Reni spoke first, asking the required question, "What is love to you?"

"A game."

From his spot on the floor, he saw that Neki was standing still, and Reni was obviously surprised.

"A game?" Not to mention confused at the comparison.

"Yes! A game played with usually two people. One is a cocky, stubborn guy, and the other is a spunky and energetic girl about the same age. Both are usually shy at the beginning because they haven't played before, or maybe they have but are afraid of losing, because losing hurts..." Her voice had gone quiet; Neki had played this game before.

Reni softened her gaze and dipped her head, telling the older girl to continue.

"It's often the boy who makes the first move, seeing as guys are more out going than girls tend to be. After the guy makes his move, the girl makes her move. And that keeps going, one trying to get the other to say the game finishing words before the other. Often times, one of the players is playing without knowing what she's getting into. They don't realize they're playing right away, and it often makes the game hard to play, and more often than none, one player is only playing because he's bored."

Neki paused for a breath and looked to Reni, who had her eyes downcast; she had played the game before as well, and lost. Riku watched the two intently. Neki sighed and finally sat down on the bed. Riku made a note of her slip. She wasn't talking in generics.

"And the final battle between the two is the hardest. Neither wants to say the finishing words first, afraid that it'll cause them to loose. It's the girl who says the finishing words first more often then the guys, and sadly, it's often the girl who looses."

Riku flinched when he saw Neki try to sniff back a tear, but it fell slowly down her face anyway. Reni scribbled away diligently, her bangs hiding her brooding eyes. That went on for what seemed like eternity. Neki crying, Reni writing, and Riku wanting to scream at them to continue, but also wanting to cradle the crying girl in his arms. Finally, when Reni finished writing, Neki continued.

"If you're lucky, no one looses, and you both say the finishing words at the same time. But luck is for fools…" She paused for another shaky breath, "Love is the worst game to play, but is inevitable, no matter who you are."

Reni wrote the last line and looked up, "Neki…" She opened her mouth to speak, but had nothing to say and simply looked down with a solemn expression, "Is that all?"

"Yes…" Neki released the tension from her tearing eyes and fell silently onto the bed, already dozing. Reni placed the pad and pencil on her desk and inched her way over to the bed, crawling next to Neki, and started nodding off as well, "I like the game I'm playing now," Neki mumbled as she pulled Reni's fleece blanket over the two.

"I like the game you're playing now too," Reni mumbled back with a sigh, "Riku makes you happy."

"It's because I really love him…"

Reni looked up at Neki's crying and smiling face, "I can tell."

Riku could feel his face heat up within the millisecond after the words Neki spoke. He watched her for a moment longer with wide eyes, before shutting the door on the sleeping girls and leaning against it with his mouth hanging open. Finally, after the words made it's way to the working part of Riku's brain, he flushed more, but smiled.

"She loves me…"

Ryoko came up the stairs with a dishrag and a slightly wet plate in hand—she was doing the dishes—and looked at her son, "Are you okay Riku? You look a little red." She came over, intent of checking for a fever, when Riku jumped up and quickly yelled that he was fine. She gave his beet red face another look before a grin enveloped her face.

"W-what?!" Riku asked, unnerved by the smile.

"Neki is here, no?" Riku felt his face heat up even more than before.

"I-I think I m-might be-be sick! Yeah! Oh," he moaned in fake agony, "My stomach! The brussel sprouts are coming back on me!"

Ryoko didn't believe him, the brussel sprouts had tasted fine to her, and poked his chest, "You're blushing because Neki is so close that you can't take it and you were going to confess your love!" Riku's eyes grew wide and he did the only thing that would get his mother to forget that Neki was here, and that he was blushing.

He fainted.

Neki sat up groggily at the loud thump sound she heard from outside, "Reni…Somethin's goin' on outside yer room…" Reni reluctantly sat up as well and rubbed her eyes.

"Like wha'?" Neki shrugged.

"Somethin' fell?"

The two exchanged a look and went to the door, then opened it to find Ryoko crying of the still form of Riku. The woman looked up, then latched herself to Reni, "RIKU'S MOVED ON!!!" Reni's eye twitched, and soon the two females were comforting each other over the loss of a brother and a son. Neki squinted and bent down over Riku's face.

Then she whispered something into his ear and leaned back on her heels as Riku leapt up in a fluid motion with his trademark smirk, "Of course I'll walk you home!"

Reni and Ryoko stared at the now 'alive' Riku, the Neki, back to Riku, and finally settled on Riku. At the same time the two squealed in glee and screamed, "NEKI RESURECTED HIM!!! SHE SAVED RIKU FROM DEATH'S GRIP!!!" Riku rolled his eyes until he saw that Neki was bowing and having his mother kiss her knuckles to show that she was in a higher status that the older woman.

"Neki."

Neki turned to face him, then sighed, "Fine. Now, Reni, get that written in pen tonight, and we'll give both of the interviews to the paper tomorrow, okay?" Reni nodded, and helped her mother up, who immediately grabbed Neki in a hug.

"Must you go? Riku had something he wanted to tell you!" Ryoko wailed. Riku deadpanned and thought bitterly, _So much for the fainting idea…_

"Oh?" She turned to face him expectantly with a gentle smile, and he fought back another blush.

"No, Mom is just being weird, and doesn't want you to leave. It's getting darker, so let's hurry." Ryoko reluctantly let go of Neki and allowed her and her son to leave, before turning to Reni.

"Remind me to punish Riku for eavesdropping on you two girls during such a seemingly private conversation."

Reni nodded, then did a double take, "Wait, HE WAS LISTENING?"

---

"So you really didn't have anything to tell me?" Neki asked as soon as they saw her house on the horizon. He shook his head, to tell her no, and to clear her earlier words from his head, "Alright, just making sure."

The entire walk had been quiet save for small talk, such as "Are you going to the island tomorrow?" and "So what did you do today?"

As her house loomed ever near, Neki seemed to get quieter, until she didn't even answer him at all. The question had caught him off guard.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked, concerned. She turned and gave him a big smile.

"Of course!"

The silence ensued, and much sooner than Riku had hoped, they were on Neki's front porch, just standing there.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, okay?" He nodded and she turned to open the door. When her hand was on the handle, Riku reached out and stopped her.

"Hey Neki?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." He turned around quickly after that to hide his blush and walked away with speed she didn't know he had.

Neki blinked and processed the information, finally blushing ferociously. She leaned against the door, not caring about her heated face, not caring she'd get in trouble for being so late, and sighed, "Game over."

End


End file.
